When I First Fell In Love With You
by Ahja Reyn
Summary: [HPCoF UNIVERSE] It's Gabriel MalfoyPotter's fifth year, and he just recieved a Valentine's gift from the one person he's not supposed to date, or so he thinks. How will Gabe act once he discover the true sender's identity? [HPCoF UNIVERSE]


**Title:** Gabe's Valentine

**Author:** Reyn

**Rating:** At most, PG13 maybe…

**Warnings:** mentioning and slight bashing of anime fandom, and the upholding of strong traditional values and the fact that this is most definitely NOT my best piece of work.

**Disclaimer:** While I may not own Harry Potter, Hogwarts, or the rest of Rowling's world, I do own Parker, Desire, Gabe, and the rest of the CoF gang.

**Author's Note:** Ack! The Valentine's plot bunnies have taken over my head! Once I get them all out of my system, I swear to return my attention of HPCoF.

This little ficlet revolves around Gabe for the most part and is set in his fifth year of Hogwarts. If you haven't been keeping up with my story _Harry Potter and the Children of the Future_, you might find yourself to be lost and confused. So I must warn you now, flames will be replied to with unpredictable mood swings.

This story is dedicated to my lover/almost-beta/author friend Demitria Miriam who requested a side story with Gabe and Parker, and to Anna-Malfoy for being the first person to suspect anything between the two.

* * *

**WHEN I FIRST FELL…IN LOVE WITH YOU**

"Please, Parker?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because boys do not send other boys valentines unless they are romantically interested or involved, and I am definitely neither of the two." Parker stated firmly, keeping his eyes glued to his book.

"But that's the beauty of it! You won't be sending it. I will!" Desire said, refusing to give up.

"I don't know if anyone has told you, dear sister, but it's the gentleman's job to send out the gift on Valentine's Day, which means you should drop this plan entirely and sit back and relax and let all your male admirers come to you." Parker drawled as he flipped to the next page, much to the annoyance of his fourth year sister.

"But in Japan, the girls are the one's who send out the gifts! They make homemade chocolate and give it to their crush and everything!" Desire argued.

Parker scowled. So that's where all of this is coming from. Desire had recently made friends with a couple of muggle-borns who were obsessed with anime, and they had completely sucked her into their world. The small group now would write notes to each other, including as many Japanese phrases as they could, draw pictures with an anime style, and gossip over the latest development in the different series.

To make matters worse, her friends had decided to start swooning over Parker because of his light brown 'anime hair', as they so affectionately dubbed it. But now with this Anime Club starting to adopt the Japanese pop culture, Parker could be sure he was going to receive several pounds of homemade chocolate come Valentine's morning.

"Besides, girls send cards and stuff to guys all the time now. Not just in Japan." Desire added with a small pout.

"Yeah, but what will Mother think about this? You know how she is when it comes to reaping the benefits or being a lady. Plus Father will definitely have something to say when he finds out where the money in your account is going."

Desire's eyes darkened at the mentioning of their father. "This is why I need you to do all the preparations for me! I'll pay you back and everything, I promise! All you need to do is make sure my name is on the card in the end and no one will ever know."

With a sigh, Parker finally closed his book. "Look Desire, I don't -."

"Please?" Desire pleaded, giving her brother the sad, hopeful look that he'd never been able to resist.

Parker groaned. Damn that look. "Fine. I'll do it. But you owe me big time."

"Yes! Thank you, oni-chan!" Desire cried happily as she flung her arms around her older brother.

"Don't call me that." Parker said half-heartedly as Desire pulled back. "So, if I remember correctly, Gabriel is rather fond of that Phantom bubble gum from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, and that muggle candy Recess, correct?"

Desire stiffened as her eyes widened. "What makes you think this is for Gabe?"

"Please, as if you would go through this much trouble for any other boy." Parker scoffed as he stood up.

"You're not mad, are you?" Desire asked, causing Parker to pause as he picked up his outer robes.

"Mad, no. Disappointed, yes. I've been trying to keep you two apart for years, and yet this is the one thing you have constantly failed me on." He said, sounding much more like his father than he cared to.

"Maybe it's because it's the only rule you ever tried to instill on me." Desire teased.

"Maybe."

"Well, try not to let your contempt show through the gifts. In fact, maybe you should include some Pocky, just to make sure he knows it's from me." Desire said as she watched Parker finish putting his robes on.

"There you go, ruining all my fun." Parker said. "Fine, I'll try to keep it nice."

"Thank you. Hey, where are you going?" Desire asked as Parker headed towards the common room door.

"Catalogue hunting." Parker answered without turning around. "I've got a bit of Valentine's Day shopping to do before Friday."

* * *

Lief sat; frowning at the huge pile of gifts that blocked him from his breakfast. He was hungry and judging by the size of the mountain of presents, he wouldn't be able to get to his food for quite some time. To top it off, he was sure he could hear a soft hooting coming from under the heap, which meant his owl was buried somewhere in there as well. 

At that moment, the infamous Marauder trio arrived for breakfast.

"Hey Lief, why so glum? You got a ton of admirers." Rama said in greeting as he sat down in front of his own pile of presents.

"But I'm only a second year! I'm too young to be receiving this many valentines!" Lief whined as he sifted through the pile, searching for his owl.

Mack snorted. "Who told you that?"

"Jasmine and Rose." Came the slightly muffled reply.

"But they're second years as well, and just look at the amount of stuff they got!" Mack protested.

The group's attention was momentarily drawn to the Slytherin table. Sure enough, both Rose and Jasmine were currently sorting through a combined pile of cards, chocolate, and stuffed animals. Further down the table, they saw Desire, whose own eyes were scanning the Gryffindor table. Next to her sat Parker, who was poking disdainfully at what appeared to be chocolate.

"Good morning, everyone." Gabe said cheerfully as he plopped down next to his younger brother. "What are you doing, Lief?"

"I'm trying to find Munky."

"Why would your owl be under there?" Gabe asked, frowning slightly.

At last Lief emerged, holding what could only be described as a Pygmy Owl with several large envelopes clutched in his beak.

"He was obviously trying to deliver my mail on time when several less considerate owls decided to drop their own packages on him." Lief pouted as he stroked Munky.

"Well, if Munky's here, then that means Felix is probably buried around here as well." Gabe said as he began to dig through his own pile.

Sure enough, several moments later a snowy owl's head popped up in the middle of the heap. The small group laughed as Felix blinked and looked around before spotting his owner and dropping the letters in his beak with an excited hoot.

Smiling softly at his owl, Gabe picked up the letters as he scattered the rest of the Valentines memorabilia to the side, giving Felix room to escape. With a hoot of gratitude, Felix stretched his wings as he took off to the owlry for a nice long rest.

With a sigh, Gabe began to pick through all the cards, candy, and stuffed animals so he could at least get a bite to eat before classes started.

There was a letter from Aunt Hermione, informing him of her latest progresses in work while warning him to watch out for any suspicious looking valentines, a simple card from Uncle Remus and Aunt Beatrice with some cute saying (obviously picked out by Aunt Beatrice). Next came a small package from the twins, which turned out to be a box of muggle condoms.

Gabe paused to scowl at the gift before looking up to glare at his sisters, only to see them smiling back, laughing at his reaction. Frowning further, Gabe hurriedly stuffed the box into his pocket before anyone else could see it.

The rest of his mail consisted of a package of new products that needed to be tested from Uncle Fred and Uncle George, a random assortment of cards and stuffed animals that Gabe had little use for, and a rather large hug from Lief (which came in person, sweetly enough).

Gabe was just finishing reading the last of his cards, when a muffled scuffling noise drew away his attention. Looking up at the tabletop, he saw a rather large package addressed to Rama shuddering violently.

"Er…is it supposed to do that?" Mack asked as he put aside the stuffed unicorn he had been examining.

"I hope so." Rama said as he pulled the package towards him to see if he could find a clue to see who had given it to him.

"Surely no one would send you something dangerous?" Mack questioned.

"Well, if it's from Hagrid, we'd have to make an exception, wouldn't we?" Gabe asked, smiling.

"Ugh! I hope Hagrid didn't send me a valentine! I'd have to kill myself." Rama said in disgust.

At that moment, what sounded like a low growling could be heard coming from the box.

"Well Wolf-man, it's official. You really went and pissed somebody off out there." Mack said.

"I'll bet it's one of those spider-looking things. You know, with only five legs that we learned about last week?" Gabe said with interest.

"You mean a Quintaped?" Mack asked.

"Yeah! Those are supposed to be really deadly. This would narrow down your list of anonymous haters to the fifth years." Gabe said, his eyes glinting maliciously.

"I'll bet it was Parker." Mack accused as the box gave itself another shake.

"No, I don't think it's in his style." Gabe argued.

"When you two are done, I'd like to get this thing opened." Rama interrupted.

"What? You mean to say you actually plan on letting that thing lose?" Mack asked.

"Well, yeah. I'm not about to go lugging it around all day. Plus I figure it's better to open it when there are teachers around so I don't have to worry so much if we lose sight of it."

Both Mack and Gabe rolled their eyes, but pulled out their wands regardless. Rama, on the other hand, picked up a steak knife.

"Ok, ready? One, two, th-."

"WAIT!"

Three heads snapped up to see Lief looking at the package with wide eyes.

"You're not going to kill it are you!" the youngest Malfoy-Potter asked in horror.

"Why not?" Rama asked.

"Because it could be harmless!"

"Yeah, and it also could be deadly." Mack argued.

"Well how would you like it if you were stuck in a box and flown around and dropped, only to have the box opened so you could be killed?" Lief said angrily.

"Lief, we weren't going to kill it." Gabe said. "We were just going to stun it. No harm in that."

"Oh really?" Lief asked as he directed a glare at Rama.

Rama looked at the knife in his hand before setting it down and smiling sheepishly. "Right, how about I just have Professor Potter take a look at this then?"

"You might want to wait on that." Mack said with his eyes directed at the ceiling.

The rest of the boys looked up as well and spotted a long line of reddish colored barn owls swooping in, each clutching large silver and green wrapped packages in its claws. The first four owls broke away from the line and headed towards the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables to deliver their respected valentine gifts to the Malfoy-Potter children, while the remaining ten or so headed towards the teachers' table, only to land in front of none other than Professor Harry Malfoy-Potter.

"I don't think Father understands how potentially embarrassing it can be to receive a valentine's gift from your own parents." Gabe muttered as untied the ribbon from the owl's leg.

"Who cares?" Lief said happily. "More presents!"

Gabe laughed as he unwrapped his gift, revealing a box of German chocolates and a note telling him not to think of this as a valentine's gift, but as one of the everyday care packages that his father sent from time to time.

"You think you're embarrassed? Take a look at Uncle Harry!" Mack pointed out.

Sure enough, Potter's brightly blushing face was just starting to become visible from behind the pile of large gifts as he continued to clear them off the table and hand them to the unfortunate house elves who had been called forth to take them to his room.

"You're father just doesn't know when to quit, does he Gabe?" Rama asked, smiling.

Gabe laughed. "Nope. Ever since that one lady sent Dad a Runespoor with the stripes transfigured into little heart chains, Father's felt the need to outdo himself, and any other potentially interested people, every year."

"Hey, I remember that. Whatever happened to that poor snake?" Rama asked.

"Father got a hold of it and sent it straight back to Africa." Lief said before stuffing a piece of chocolate in his mouth.

"I'll bet Harry didn't like that." Rama said smiling.

"Nope. Dad refused to talk to Father for about a month and even stayed at Hogwarts during the weekends." Lief said thickly.

"That wouldn't happen to be the same month when the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was constantly overflowing with ridiculously expensive presents, would it?" Mack asked.

"No, that only lasted about a week until Dad had me write to Father to tell him that embarrassing Dad in front of his students was not going to win him over. After that he stuck to sending private, heartfelt letters every three hours." Gabe said as he finally served himself some eggs and toast.

"Geez, you'd think that man would run out of ideas on what to write after a while." Rama said as he picked up his unopened package and started to shake it.

"Well, from what Dad told me, Father went through a lot of mood swings in the letters because he kept getting angry at the fact that Dad was being stubborn and refusing to talk to him. Those letters were, of course, immediately followed by long parchments of apologies." Gabe said.

Lief snorted. "Yeah, and then those apologies would be followed by 'what am I apologizing for? I have every right to be mad at you for accepting such a gift from that floozy in the first place! I'm the only one who's allowed to shower you with such nice gifts and I should be dumping you on the spot for the jealousy and anger that you put me through!'"

"And those would be followed with 'Please don't cut me off like this, love. I need to hear from you' letters, which were then followed by the angry letters which started his whole tirade all over again." Gabe said laughing.

"Why did Uncle Draco get so mad at the snake anyways?" Mack asked.

"I don't know. I think some ex-lover or something sent it to Dad. That and Runespoors are supposed to be a sign of Dark wizards, so Father probably thought she was mocking him." Gabe said as Rama's package let out another string of sounds.

"I still say it's from Parker." Rama said as the group's attention went back to the package.

"Maybe Parker just put one of those muggle sound boxes in there along with a bludger just to freak you out." Mack said as he eyed the box.

"Wouldn't the bludger smash the sound box?" Rama asked.

Gabe let those two continue their theories as his eyes drifted towards the Slytherin table in search of Parker. Much to his surprise, Parker was already staring right back at him. The two rivals continued to hold each other's gazes until Parker finally tore his icy blue eyes away in favor of looking up at something.

Frowning, Gabe followed Parker's line of sight and saw one lone tawny owl swooping down to land in front of Gabe. What the owl was carrying was enough to make Gabe's jaw fall open.

Beneath the owl's talons was what seemed to be an Occamy figurine. It's serpentine body wrapped around a large, silver, heart-shaped bowl, with its claws holding the bowl close to its body, while its wings were spread out around the bowl, giving it an almost protective appearance. Clutched in its mouth was a single red rose, still sporting thorns.

Inside the bowl were several Recess Peanut Butter Cups©, several small packs of Phantom Bubble Gum, a couple of boxes that seemed to be called 'Pocky', and an envelope elegantly addressed to 'Gabriel Malfoy-Potter' in swirling green ink. All this was floating on top of a small sea of the muggle candy Sweethearts©, dotted with Hershey Kisses ©.

Still slightly in shock as the owl took off, Gabe reached for the letter as Rama snatched up one of the red boxes marked 'Pocky'.

"Hey, what's this?" Rama asked as he examined the box.

"Can't you read? It's obviously Pocky." Mack said as he grabbed the second box.

"Ok genius. What's Pocky?" Rama shot back. "Is it something edible?"

"I don't know. They look like muggle pencils to me." Mack said as he looked at the picture.

"Why would someone send Gabe a box of pencils?" Rama asked as he tore open the small box. "Hey! Check it out! They're specially wrapped pencils!"

Mack tore open the box he had as Rama was opening one of the wrappers. Both boys looked at the Pocky sticks inside.

"How do you use a muggle pencil again, Mack?" Rama asked as he dumped the Pocky out on the table.

"I didn't say they were pencils, I said they _looked_ like pencils, Dog-breath." Mack said as he went back to examining the box.

"They smell chocolately." Rama said, ignoring the insult.

"It says here that they're 'chocolate covered biscuit sticks'." Mack read.

"Brilliant!" Rama said happily as he shoved one in his mouth.

Mack rolled his eyes as he turned his attention to Gabe. "So who sent it?"

"Well, if you two would shut up long enough for me to read the card, I would know by now, wouldn't I?" Gabe said, holding the envelope in his hands.

Mack reached over and grabbed a handful of Sweethearts and shoved them in his mouth and stared at Gabe, as if proving he was going to stay quiet. Gabe simply rolled his eyes as he pulled the card out of the envelope.

On the cover of the card was a Snitch that appeared to be donning a Cupid outfit. Suddenly the Snitch seemed to jump as if something surprised it, causing it to drop its bow and arrow as it took off across a quidditch pitch. The Seeker who was chasing after it caught the bow and arrow, then readied the arrow and successfully shot it at the Snitch, causing it to halt in its escape. Little hearts seemed to float around the Snitch as it changed its course of flight and flew back towards the Seeker, who then caught it and proceeded to hug the little golden ball as the words 'Caught You' appeared.

Smiling slightly as the display began to repeat itself, Gabe opened the card to read the inscription inside.

_Gabriel,_

_I could tell you that the gods have looked favorably upon you as the years have gone by, but I know this would either cause you to smirk as the statement went to your head, or scoff as you start mentally listing all the things currently wrong with your life._

_So instead I shall keep my compliments of you at a humble level. Rather than praise you for your looks and accomplishments, I will exalt you for the small things that truly deserve the honor for your magnetic charisma._

_Such as the way the green in your eyes seem to glow while the silver center sparkles when you are truly happy or excited. Or the ways you make a person feel as if they are the only one that matters when you turn your attention to them. Then there's the way you allow yourself to be amazed at someone's accomplishments once before attempting the feat yourself, yet you will always continue to praise that person (even if it is only in your head or through attempted insults)._

_Of course, we can't forget about the way you cast your magic—the way you pause for no more than a second, as if you are summoning up your strength in order to make sure you do your best. This is followed by a look of concentration as you say the spell, quickly followed by a concealed look of surprise, as if you are shocked that you were actually able to pull it off. It is no wonder why the people around you enjoy watching you as you go about showing off._

_The way you fly is perhaps the most interesting thing about you. True, you come from a family of Seekers, but when you take to the sky, flying seems to be the one thing that you try to claim as your own. Your world shrinks down to you, your own hard-earned ability, your broom, and the Snitch._

_There are times when I envy that Snitch because it is probably the only thing that can capture your attention as much as your family and friends do. I, on the other hand, have no choice but to fight for what's left; forcing myself into your sights on an almost daily basis._

_Hopefully, this Valentine's Day I will be able capture your attention long enough for you to invite me to Hogsmeade tomorrow, and then longer still if the date I so dream for is offered._

_With much love,_

_Desire_

"'Caught You'." Mack read as he watched the back of card. "So who's it from?"

"What's it say?" Rama asked immediately after.

Instead of answering, Gabe's eyes went up to the Slytherin table, where he quickly found Desire who was beaming back at him. Gabe started to offer a smile, but it wavered when he noticed Parker's intense stare.

"Oi!" Mack flicked the card in Gabe's hand, successfully drawing his attention back to the group.

"Oh, it's from Desire." Gabe said offhandedly as he handed the card over to Rama to read.

"Ha! I'll bet Parker won't be too pleased once he finds out about this." Rama said as his eyes skimmed over the writing.

"Haven't you ever found it strange the way he dotes and caters to his sister's every whim, only to have Gabe be the one thing they disagree on?" Mack asked as he leaned over to read the card with Rama.

"Who cares? The guy's an emotionless bastard to begin with. Worse than Snape." Rama said. "I'm more concerned about how Desire was able to get something like this for Gabe without Parker noticing."

"True. Maybe he doesn't mind so much about them two anymore."

"Or maybe she's really the manipulative wench that I've always suspected her to be and she's finally grown into her true Slytherin self and has blinded Parker with his brotherly love for her while pulling this whole thing off right under his nose."

"Honestly, Rama, now you're just being paranoid."

Their words seemed to pass right through Gabe, as the boy went back to watching a certain Winchester at the other end of the Hall. Unsurprisingly, Parker was still watching him in an almost studious manner. The two rivals held each other's gazes for several more minutes until Parker decided to look away in favor of getting up to leave.

Something inside Gabe's brain clicked as his friends' faint conversation passed over him.

"He knows."

Both Rama and Mack looked up.

"Who knows?" Mack asked.

"Parker."

"Parker knows what?" Rama asked.

"That Desire sent this."

"Yeah, right. And Snape proposed to Mack using that stuffed unicorn." Rama said sarcastically. "Go on, Gabe. If Parker knew, do you really think he would have let his sister go through with her plan?"

"That's what I would like to know." Gabe growled as he stood up from his seat and left the Great Hall after Parker.

* * *

"Hey, Parker!" 

Parker mentally groaned as Gabriel's voice echoed against the stones of the hallway. He had stayed in the Great Hall long enough to see the boy's reaction to the gift, before making a hasty retreat back down to the dungeons. Unfortunately, it wasn't hasty enough.

Preparing himself for the worst, Parker turned.

"Just what the hell are you playing at?" Gabriel demanded angrily.

Parker blinked. He certainly had not been expecting that. "Pardon?"

"Don't act clueless; it's completely unbecoming of you." Gabriel scowled.

"I can assure you, I'm not acting. What the bloody hell are you going on about?" Parker said defensively.

Gabe's eyes narrowed. He suddenly wished he had remembered to bring the bloody thing with him so he could shove it in Parker's face.

"You know Desire sent me that gift."

"And what makes you think that?" Parker asked as he turned to continue on his path to the Slytherin common room.

"The fact that Desire was practically gushing when the damn thing arrived and the way you knew it was coming." Gabe answered as he walked beside Parker.

"Hmm." Was Parker's noncommittal response.

"Is that all you have to say to that?" Gabe demanded.

"What do you think of it?" Parker asked.

"I think it's a crappy response to -."

"No, no, no. I mean the gift. What do you think of the gift?" Parker corrected.

Gabe stopped in surprise. "The gift?"

"Yes, the gift. You know, the present, the valentine, the-."

"I know what you're talking about!" Gabe said angrily.

Parker stopped walking and looked at him expectantly. "And…"

Gabe did some quick thinking on his part.

"It was mediocre at best. Nothing worth me getting excited about. My friends are currently eating all the candy as we speak." He said dismissively as he started to walk once again, only to stop when he quickly realized Parker had not moved.

Frowning in confusion, Gabe turned to see Parker standing there with a frozen look of fury on his face that was quickly swallowed by his pale blue eyes, giving them a frosty glare.

"I see." Parker said coldly; his previous airy tone gone completely. "Well, if you have nothing more of importance to say to me, perhaps you should go and burn the rose and card as you watch your sorry excuses for company stuff their faces with overly-sugared, tooth rotting sweets."

"Hang on, it's not like I'm insulting your sister or anything!" Gabe said defensively. "I just got some better stuff is all."

Unfortunately, Gabe's feeble attempts at rectifying the situation only made it worse.

"Like what!" Parker nearly yelled. "I watched you go through every single one of those valentines, and none of them could even compare to what I-she gave you!"

"That's not true!" Gabe yelled.

"Oh yeah? Name one." Parker demanded.

Gabe thought for a moment. "How about gifts from my family!"

Parker pulled a face. "If you're talking about that pack of condoms your sisters gave you, you're sicker than I thought."

"What? NO! I'm talking about the hug from Lief! The loving feeling of physical contact from a younger sibling even when they don't want anything from you. Can you honestly say you've ever experienced that before!" Gabe asked.

Parker opened his mouth to confirm, but closed it when he realized Gabriel was right. In all his memory, Desire never really hugged him or played the little sister card unless she wanted something from him.

Not only that, but she had laid it on so thick that he had actually agreed to practically setting her and Gabriel up.

Stranger still was the fact that Parker realized that he had not minded the idea of getting a gift for Gabriel, let alone dictating what to write in the card. Surely, that should have upset him more than it did?

He suddenly found himself feeling very confused and angry, a combination that never sat well with him in the first place.

"I should get going." Parker said suddenly. "You're making me late for class."

Gabe watched with an unidentified emotion as Parker stormed past him down the hall.

* * *

"And you want _me_ to open it?" Harry asked incredulously as he stared at the shivering box that had been placed in front of him on his desk. 

He moved his eyes up to look at the group of students that surrounded him, which consisted of all of his children, Rama and Mack, Tycho Brahe and Rowan and Robin Macfusty, who were some of Lief's friends, and the better half of the second year Slytherins.

Apparently, this matter was supposed to be kept secret, but no death threats had been issued.

It never ceased to amaze Harry how morbid curiosity was the one thing that could temporarily squash house rivalries, whereas more dire things (such as war with the most evil wizard in all time) could not.

"Well yeah." Rama said with a shrug. "You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, so defend us against this Dark art."

Harry frowned. "Technically it's a magical creature so you should be taking it to Hagrid, not me."

"We can't." Lief smiled. "Gabe said it might be from Hagrid in the first place, so we don't want to hurt his feelings."

Both Jasmine and Rose, along with the rest of the Slytherins, burst into a shriek of giggles.

"Ugh." Harry said disgustingly. "Gabe, please tell me you were joking."

The group looked expectantly at Gabe. But the boy was currently staring off into space. A nudge from Mack quickly brought him back down to earth.

"What? Oh, uhm, yeah. Sure." Gabe said looking away from the odd look his father was giving him.

"Go on Professor, where's that Gryffindor bravery you're so famous for?" Rowan asked as Harry took a step back when the box gave itself another light shake.

"Apparently it's being borrowed by my husband so he can keep testing my patience." Harry growled as an owl swooped in to drop a parcel on the still-growing mountain of valentines' gifts that he had been receiving throughout the day.

"Oh please." Rose scoffed. "As if Father isn't currently being showered with his own pile of gifts from you right now."

A light blush appeared on Harry's cheeks. "Right then, how about we get this thing opened."

Instantly, the crowd of students took a step back. The Slytherins all moved to stand behind the Gryffindors and Jasmine and Rose hid behind Mack and Gabe, while Lief, much to his dismay, suddenly found himself hidden behind Rama (or protected by, depending on who you asked).

With a wave of Harry's wand, the box opened itself and the group instinctively drew back. Several moments ticked by as nothing happened. Everyone's eyes moved from the box to their Professor as Harry took a tentative step forward to peer into the box.

Suddenly a furry, custard-colored blob leaped out and attached itself to Harry's chest, causing him to stumble back and yell in surprise.

Instantly, all the Slytherins were screaming as they turned and fled from the room, save for Jasmine and Rose, whose hands painfully gripped the back of their protectors' robes and used them as a shield. This also effectively kept both Mack and Gabe from rushing forward to help Harry. Rama, on the other hand, was struggling to hold Lief back, lest the monster chose the young boy as his next target.

"Hey, what is that thing?" Tycho asked, effectively causing the remaining students to freeze.

"I'm not sure." Harry said as he used his wand to poke at the quivering mass gripping his chest.

This action caused the hairy lump to erupt a loud purr. Frowning in confusion, Harry grabbed the creature and pulled it off him before letting out a laugh.

"It's a Puffskein!" he exclaimed.

The tension of the room vanished as everyone smiled and laughed.

"It sure didn't sound like a Puffskein when it was growling and shaking the box earlier." Rama said as Lief stepped around him to approach the pet.

"Well that's probably because it was grumpy from being inside the package for so long." Harry said as he handed the Puffskein to Lief.

"Hey, there's a note inside the box." Mack said as he pulled out a small envelope.

Rama grabbed it and tore it open, mumbling angrily to himself about being too old for cuddly pets.

"Rama? If you don't want it, can I have it?" Lief asked.

"Why?" Rama asked suspiciously.

"Because I don't want you using it as a bludger or some sort of stress reliever." Lief said, causing Harry to smile.

"You wound me, Lief. As if I would ever do such a cruel thing to such a cute creature." Rama said as he put a hand over his heart.

"Whatever." Lief said as he rolled his eyes.

"What? It's true! You're still in one piece and you hang out with me all the time." Rama said defensively.

Lief frowned. "Are you saying I'm _cute_?"

"Of course! You're the baby of the Malfoy-Potter family. You have no choice but to be cute."

Lief had the decency to look highly offended. "Malfoy-Potters don't do cute!"

Even Harry had to chuckle at that as Lief pouted and turned to leave.

"Oh come one, Lief! The babies of any family have no choice but to be cute!" Rama said as he chased after the predominantly blond boy. "I mean, look at me! I'm the youngest and I'm cute! Well, more like drop dead sexy, but—Hey! Wait up, will you! I'm trying to make you feel better!"

Harry laughed and shook his head as he tossed the now empty box off to the side. "Well, the rest of you better get going, or you'll miss the end of your lunch. Er, Gabe? Could you hang on a second? I'd like to talk to you about something."

With a sigh, Gabe waved Mack to go on without him as he turned around and went back to the desk.

"What's got you so down?" Harry asked as he leaned on his desk.

"I don't know." Gabe said, shrugging.

"Ok…then what's on your mind?" Harry asked.

"Well, I got this valentines gift from Desire, and you know how Parker feels about me and her, right?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, the weird thing is, he knows she sent me the gift, but he isn't mad or irked or anything! There was even a card that asked me to ask her out and everything! And then, when I asked him about it, all he wanted to know was whether or not I liked the damn thing!"

"And did you like it?" Harry asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah, it was the best one I received out of the rest, but I wasn't about to tell him that." Gabe said as he twirled his wand with his fingers.

"What did you tell him?"

"That I thought it was OK at most and that I was letting Rama and Mack eat all the candy."

"Did you really let them?"

"No. They took the stuff called Pocky, and some of the Sweethearts, but that's all I let them grab."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You are just like your father sometimes, you know that? Why didn't you just tell him the truth to begin with?"

"Because I didn't want him to think I was going to go off and ask Desire out just because I liked the gift!" Gabe said angrily. "She's the one reason he and I are always fighting, and when we're not fighting, we're ignoring each other! So I thought that maybe I could avoid the fight and have a decent conversation with him for once, and for some odd reason, he got mad!"

"Hmm…well, he does tend to think awfully highly of Desire. Maybe by insulting the gift, he thought you were insulting his sister, or maybe her tastes?" Harry said thoughtfully.

"I told him I wasn't, but it didn't help any. He still seemed to take it so personally." Gabe said, frowning.

"I see. Do you have the card with you?" Harry suddenly asked.

Gabe handed over the card, wondering how that would help his situation any before he continued to ramble on.

"So far, I've managed to avoid both Desire and Parker. I know I should confront Desire some time today, but I'm not really sure. She's probably expecting to ask me out, but the last thing I need is Parker's glare aimed at my head everywhere I go. Dad, are you even listening to me?"

"Nearly." Harry said as he finished reading the card and handed it back, ignoring Gabe's scowl. "I think you should read that over again, and think about Desire's usual style of writing compared to what's in that card. That doesn't sound like her tone at all."

"And how do you know her tone?"

"You forget, I'm a teacher and am constantly catching her passing notes in my class. Chances are I know more about her than you do." Harry said with a smile.

"Right." Was all Gabe said as he headed out to join his friends for the remainder of lunch.

* * *

It was in History of Magic when it finally clicked. 

Gabe had been mulling over the card for the better part of the hour before his brain finally decided to kick in, allowing everything to fall into place and leaving Gabe with his rather shocking revelation.

Parker was the one who sent the gift in Desire's name.

Gabe felt like smacking his forehead for not seeing it before. If Desire were to send him something, it would have been much more girly and the note would have more than likely been a bit shallower.

Despite History of Magic now being over, Gabe's mental rant was not, which was why he was currently stomping his way across the school grounds on his way to Care of Magical Creatures with his two friends trailing behind. They shared the class with Slytherins, which gave Gabe the perfect chance to demand the explanation he wanted.

Luck was on his side as Hagrid introduced the class to the Jarvey- an oversized, ferret-looking creature that wasted its ability to speak on shouting out short and often vulgar phrases. Everyone was then paired up, given one Jarvey, and told to try and teach it some new (and possibly more polite) phrases.

Without even giving it a second thought, Gabe marched over to Parker, grabbed his arm and dragged him over to Hagrid, insisting on being partnered up for the lesson. Gabe then proceeded to ignore the odd looks and protests coming from both Parker and the Jarvey as he moved to a spot near the edge of the Forbidden Forest before dropping the creature on the ground and turning to his rival.

"Why'd you do it?" Gabe demanded.

"Do what? Complain about being manhandled! Did it ever occur to you that ?"

"Ok, first off, I didn't manhandle you." Gabe said.

"I'll manhandle you!" the Jarvey barked out, going ignored.

"And secondly I'm talking about the Occamy figurine!"

"What about it? You've already insulted it, what more is there to rub in my face?" Parker asked as he crossed his arms.

"Look, I was lying when I said I didn't like it earlier." Gabe said defeatedly.

"What?" Parker asked.

"I was lying! Rub it in my face!" The Jarvey yipped.

"It's actually one of my favorites that I received. I mean, it's certainly the best Valentine that I've ever gotten from anyone that's not family." Gabe said.

"Rub in! One of my favorites! That's not family!" The Jarvey growled.

"So why are you telling me this now?" Parker asked.

Gabe hesitated for a moment. "It was you, wasn't it? You sent the valentine under your sister's name. I just feel kind of bad about lying about it before."

"I'll manhandle you! Under your sisters!" the Jarvey sang happily.

"That's where you're wrong. I sent the valentine _for_ her, so don't you go getting any ideas." Parker said.

"Oh really? If that's the case, you didn't do a very good job in copying her style of gifts!" Gabe stated.

Parker frowned as he realized the boy was right. When looking through the catalogs, he hadn't even given Desire's tastes a second thought as he concentrated more on getting Gabriel the best gift.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Parker glared at Gabe. "So? It was a valentine for you, not her. Why are you so hung up about this anyways?"

Gabe stuttered a bit before he could think up of a decent answer. "Why the hell are you sending me gifts on behalf of your sister in the first place? You hate the idea of us even being in the same room together."

"True. But I have found that many people's opinions of Valentine's Day come highly overrated. Chances were you would have simply overlooked the gift since you tend to be in your own little arrogant world every time you're showered with presents." Parker countered.

"Why the hell are you sending me! Under your sisters!" the Jarvey said proudly.

"If you wanted me to overlook it, it shouldn't have been so nice!" Gabe snapped before he could stop himself. "But that's not the point!"

"Then get to the bloody point already!" Parker yelled.

Gabe raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Why did you ask me to basically ask her to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

Parker looked at Gabe incredulously. "_That's_ what you've been stressing over this whole time?"

"No! Yes." Gabe sighed. "I don't know."

"Well which is it?" Parker asked.

"Rub it in my face!" the Jarvey snapped.

"Everything in that card was from you. Stuff that you've noticed about me, right?" Gabe asked tiredly.

"So?" Parker asked defensively.

"So you can't just go and write all that and then turn around and put someone else's name on it." Gabe explained.

"What's that got to do with the asking her out bit?" Parker asked.

"That's just it! I _can't_ ask her out!" Gabe said.

"What? Why not?" Parker asked in surprise.

"Because of you! It was all from you! I just…ah, forget it!" Gabe shook his head and plopped himself down on the ground in front of the Jarvey.

Parker found himself taken back, but quickly got over his shock. "You're going to have to do better than that if you plan on avoiding my sister for the rest of the day. She's been bugging me nonstop about why you haven't approached her yet."

"Do you really want me to ask Desire out?" Gabe asked as he stroked the ferret-looking animal.

"No. But if you don't at least talk to her, I'm going to be the one that she's going to come to when whining and complaining." Parker said as he sat down across from Gabe.

"So just tell her you poisoned one of the chocolates or something and I was too sick to take her anywhere tomorrow." Gabe said.

"Talk to her! Poison one!" The Jarvey purred.

"Whatever. Class is almost over." Parker said as he stood back up, collecting the Jarvey in his arms. "You need to talk to her. Or else send one of your cronies to do it. I'm sure they could get the message across."

Gabe remained seated as he watched Parker walk off. Letting out a small sigh, he leaned back against the tree behind him and pulled out the card and stared at the cover, watching the animation play through up until the words 'Caught You' appeared.

"Yeah, you sure caught me alright." Gabe said softly to Parker's retreating form.

The End.

* * *

Anime – for those of you who don't know, it's Japanese animation. Some famous (yet childish) examples would be YuGiOh, Pokemon, Digimon, Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, etc. I'm sorry to say, if you truly were clueless about what anime is, you've been missing out on a lot. 

Oni-chan– My Japanese is a little rusty, but I believe this is the term for big brother.

Phantom Bubble Gum – A favorite of students and horror to teachers. Blow a bubble, let it pop, and a random bit of magic happens somewhere nearby.

Pocky – basically, chocolate covered biscuit sticks. Not much, but highly addictive.

Catalogue hunting – I'm assuming the school library has an extensive catalogue collection to enable students to shop for their everyday needs when they can't visit the village.

"…But Jasmine and Rose are second years as well…" – Sigh. I might as well explain this one since I know you all will be asking about it. The twins and Lief are only 3 months apart in age. This is because Harry made a mistake with the twins potion while creating them, causing him to think he killed the poor fetus. As a result, he went on to start with Lief's potion, jest in case the twins really were dead. Does that make sense? I hope so…

Lief's hug and the twins' gift – I don't know about the rest of you, but with my family, we always get each other small gifts on Valentine's Day. Nothing big, but jest a little something to let each other know we care. We also use it as an excuse to stock up on candy.

Quintaped – This creature (along with all the rest) can be found in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander. This beast basically looks like a five-legged tarantula and rather deadly with its sharp teeth and nasty temper.

Runespoor – a three-headed snake. Very rare and said to be a symbol of a Dark wizard.

Occamy – A plumed, two-legged winged creature with a serpentine body.

Occamy figurine – I drew a picture of it, despite my horrible artistic ability. I plan on posting it on my homepage, if I ever get around to it...

Card Cover – It would be awesome if there was anyone out there who knew how to work with Flash and could create that scene for me…

Puffskein – A custard-colored fluff ball that likes to be either cuddled, or thrown about. True, they're usually docile, but this one was a slight exception. After all, it's rude to generalize.

The End – Yes, that was the end. It nearly killed me to keep this in oneshot form, let alone end it there. Don't ask me to continue it, because nothing more exciting will happen after this point. Gabe will have Rama talk to Desire, Desire will throw a fit at Parker, and Parker will get mad at Gabe, and Gabe will fight back, and life will continue on as normal between those two for the time being.

* * *

**End Note:** Ugh. I went back over the fic to beta it and it was horrible. Too sloppy for my tastes. But I don't have time to fix it seeing as how Love Day is almost over...But now that this is out of the way, I can return my attention to HPCoF 


End file.
